Page 16 - Issue12
P. 16
hawthorne heights
a listen to a song for the purity of it being a
It does! It’s been 10 years since The Silence song, and a unique idea from a songwriter’s
In Black & White released. How have you perspective. I don’t think enough people
changed as a musician over the last 10 years? realize that nothing is perfect. I’m just happy
I think the most important change that we that the band themselves wrote the song.
all have collectively made as musicians is That makes me smile when I flip over the
that we know the type of songs that we want CD and don’t see “co-written by” some dude
to write and how to get that sound; whereas in LA.
before, it was just writing parts and trying
to piece it together. Now it flows way better, I prefer when it’s not perfect, because then I
more naturally. We’ve always known what we know it’s real.
wanted to sound like, and who we are, and Exactly! One of my favorite bands is The
we’ve never really strayed from that. We’ve Replacements, and it sounds like they are
never tried to chase down different genres. I messing up every note, and that’s the beauty
think it’s because we all listen to such a broad of it! Stuff is out of tune. Sometimes it’s
range of music anyway, we don’t feel like we slightly off time. The vocals are breaking up
need to sound like everything. and cracking. That’s what makes it honest.
That’s what makes it sound like a band
What’s on your iPod now? What are you playing in a practice space in Minnesota to
drawing inspiration from the most today? me. That’s what I love about it! I don’t want it
I would say, lyrically, I always draw a lot of to sound polished.
inspiration from Bruce Springsteen, just
because for 30 years he’s been singing about I agree! I’ve listened to some bands that are
just amazingly honest that love playing live
Americana, the heartland, and the trials
and tribulations of the American person. I because they get to connect emotionally with
think that no matter what era it is, it’s always their audiences, and then I’ve listened to
important to sing about the joy and struggle some bands that push their sound through
so many pieces of electronic gadgets that it
of life. Even though we sound nothing
alike, I draw a lot of inspiration from what washes out the emotion.
he’s talking about and the tales he’s telling. The best part is that you need to get that
Currently, there’s nobody better for me to emotion out of it! Musicians should write
listen to. I just really enjoy it. Sonically, I about something, and sing about something,
listen to a ton of different things. I’ve been and not just write a song because it is “catchy”.
really into some of the different things I used
to listen to growing up, like The Smashing
Pumpkins. I cannot let that stuff influence
what I’m doing and what I’m writing,
because then it sounds like Hawthorne
Heights trying to sound like The Smashing
Pumpkins. I don’t want that, I just want to
listen to The Smashing Pumpkins you know?
I understand. Doing all the stuff that I do
with RockRevolt it makes me listen to music
differently. Every once in a while I have to
disconnect so I can listen to it and not pull it
apart to analyze and write about it.
You are in the same kind of boat I’m in. It
can get hard to do that, to not listen to a song
and try to dissect what is right and wrong
about it in your eyes. Sometimes you just got
a listen to a song for the purity of it being a
It does! It’s been 10 years since The Silence song, and a unique idea from a songwriter’s
In Black & White released. How have you perspective. I don’t think enough people
changed as a musician over the last 10 years? realize that nothing is perfect. I’m just happy
I think the most important change that we that the band themselves wrote the song.
all have collectively made as musicians is That makes me smile when I flip over the
that we know the type of songs that we want CD and don’t see “co-written by” some dude
to write and how to get that sound; whereas in LA.
before, it was just writing parts and trying
to piece it together. Now it flows way better, I prefer when it’s not perfect, because then I
more naturally. We’ve always known what we know it’s real.
wanted to sound like, and who we are, and Exactly! One of my favorite bands is The
we’ve never really strayed from that. We’ve Replacements, and it sounds like they are
never tried to chase down different genres. I messing up every note, and that’s the beauty
think it’s because we all listen to such a broad of it! Stuff is out of tune. Sometimes it’s
range of music anyway, we don’t feel like we slightly off time. The vocals are breaking up
need to sound like everything. and cracking. That’s what makes it honest.
That’s what makes it sound like a band
What’s on your iPod now? What are you playing in a practice space in Minnesota to
drawing inspiration from the most today? me. That’s what I love about it! I don’t want it
I would say, lyrically, I always draw a lot of to sound polished.
inspiration from Bruce Springsteen, just
because for 30 years he’s been singing about I agree! I’ve listened to some bands that are
just amazingly honest that love playing live
Americana, the heartland, and the trials
and tribulations of the American person. I because they get to connect emotionally with
think that no matter what era it is, it’s always their audiences, and then I’ve listened to
important to sing about the joy and struggle some bands that push their sound through
so many pieces of electronic gadgets that it
of life. Even though we sound nothing
alike, I draw a lot of inspiration from what washes out the emotion.
he’s talking about and the tales he’s telling. The best part is that you need to get that
Currently, there’s nobody better for me to emotion out of it! Musicians should write
listen to. I just really enjoy it. Sonically, I about something, and sing about something,
listen to a ton of different things. I’ve been and not just write a song because it is “catchy”.
really into some of the different things I used
to listen to growing up, like The Smashing
Pumpkins. I cannot let that stuff influence
what I’m doing and what I’m writing,
because then it sounds like Hawthorne
Heights trying to sound like The Smashing
Pumpkins. I don’t want that, I just want to
listen to The Smashing Pumpkins you know?
I understand. Doing all the stuff that I do
with RockRevolt it makes me listen to music
differently. Every once in a while I have to
disconnect so I can listen to it and not pull it
apart to analyze and write about it.
You are in the same kind of boat I’m in. It
can get hard to do that, to not listen to a song
and try to dissect what is right and wrong
about it in your eyes. Sometimes you just got
